Clothes-rack.



No.'70l,789. Patented June 3, I902.

0. P. CALLAHAN.

CLOTHES RACK.

-'App1ica.tion filed Aug. 9, 1901.; (No Model.

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OWEN P. CALLAHAN,

PATENT OFFICE.

on NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLOTHES-RACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letter Application filed August 9, 1901.

T0 aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, OWEN P. CALLAHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Racks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to clothes-racks, the object in View being to provide an improved adjustable sliding and folding clothes rack or drier in which a plurality of arms are employed and so arranged that any one or more of the arms may be adjusted to their operative or inoperative positions irrespective o the remaining arms.

The parts of the rack are also combined in such manner and associated with a runner or slide that all of the. arms may be simultaneously raised or lowered to any desired position and held.

The principal object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction of the rack or drier, so as to'economize in the cost of manufacture and enable the several parts of the rack to be assembled accurately and expeditiously.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will appear more fully as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a clothes rack or drier complete and constructedin accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section showing the head-bracket in plan. Fig. 4. is also a horizontal section showing a reverse plan view of the foot-bracket. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail elevation showing the connection between one of the arms and Fig. 6 is a similar View showing a slight modification. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation of theinner end of one of the braces. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. Bwith the up per section of the head-bracket, removed. Fig. 9 is a reverse plan view of the upper section of the head-bracket. Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail vertical section showing the manner of securing the sections of the headbracket to the slide or runner.

s Patent No. 701,789, dated June 3, 1902.

Serial No. 71,503. (No model.)

Like numerals of reference designate like parts in all the figures of thedrawings.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the base of the rack, which preferably consists of anupright board the opposite side edges of which are provided with grooves or ways 2, which'receive the inbent extremities 3 of the side arms 4 of head and foot brackets 5 and 6, respectively, the said brackets being rigidly connected With'and mounted upon a slide or runner 7. The runner7 consists, preferably, of a short length of board, to the the opposite ends of which the head and foot brackets 5 and 6 are secured by means of screws or other fasteners 8 and 17.

The head-bracket is composed of sections 9 and 10, each of which is semicircular in shape, as shown best in Figs. 3, 8, and 9. The sections 9 and 10 are of the samedimensions throughout and are provided in their periphery with registeringnotches 11, adapted to receive the inner ends of a series of drierarms 12, 'said arms being provided at their inner ends with openings through which passes a fulcrum-wire 13, which is seated in an arcuate groove 14, formed in the inner meetingface of the upper section of the headbracket 5, as shown in Fig. 10. The wire 13 is placed in the groove 14 before the headsections 9 and 10 are clamped together, so that when said sections are clamped the fulcrum-wire is'securely held'in position and serves as a common fulcrum for all of the arms 12. The upper section 9 is provided with verticallyextending clamping-fingers 15, while the remaining section is provided withrecesses 16 to receive the fingers15, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. The fingers, which are formed integral with the upper section, pass into the recesses 16 of the opposing section and are provided in their extended end portions with openings for the reception of clamping-screws 17, which are inserted through the fingers 15 into the body of the slide or runner 7. The screws 17 therefore serve not only to hold the two sections of the head-bracket together and confine the fulcrum-wire, but also serve to hold the head-bracket as a whole securely upon the slide 7.

The foot-bracket 6 is also of semicircular form, but somewhat smaller than the headbracket, and is provided with a corresponding number of slots or openings 18, adapted to receive hooks 19, carried by the lower extremities of a series of braces 20, which serve as supports for the arms 12. The upper or inner ends of the braces 20 are connected with the arms 12 by means of pivotal links 21, each having one end pivotally connected to an arm 12 and the opposite end pivotally connected to the inner or upper end of one of the braces, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The link 21, while permitting the brace 20 to be moved out of engagement with the arm 12, serves when the arms are uplifted to hold or look the brace in engagement with the arm, this being due to the fact that the pivotal connection between the link and brace is above the line passing through the pivotal connection of the link with the arm and the pivotal connection which exists between the brace and the footbracket. The link 21 may be connected with the brace and arm by means of separate pivots 22. Each brace 20 is furtherprovided at its inner end with a stay-pin 24, which is received in a corresponding socket 25 in the under side of the arm 12, said pin serving to prevent any looseness or wabbling between the brace and arm.

In order to prevent accidental disengagement of the hooks 19 with the slots or openings 18 in the foot-bracket, said bracket is provided upon its under side with a series of depending knobs or projections 25, which form stops for limiting the upward movement of the hooks by reason of the ends of the braces coming in contact with said knobs. The runner, together with the arms and other connections carried thereby, is bodily raised and lowered by means of a cord or rope 26, one end of which is connected to the top of the runner, said cord or rope passing over a pulley 27 in a pulley-block pivotally mounted at 28 adjacent to the top of the base-board 1, the rope or cord extending from thence downward, where it is adapted to be fastened to a suitable cleat 29 within reach of the operator. The pulley block 27 is pivotally mounted,so that it may swing and adjust itself to the tension of the cord or rope 26 and so thatsaid cord or rope may be reeved in either direction over the pulley and down at one side or the other of the slide.

In order to adjust the arms to their operative positions, the outer free end of each arm is elevated and at the same time the inner end of the brace 20 is pushed upward until the stay-pin enters its socket in the arm. This carries the link 21 to the position illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, and the brace 20 is thereby locked with respect to the arm 12, thus avoiding danger of the arm collapsing under the weight of the clothes placed thereon. In order to lower the arm 12, said arm is slightly elevated, so as to disengage the pin 24. This allows the brace 20 to drop,and the arm 12 may then be lowered to a pendent position.

Fig. 6 shows a modified form of link 21, which may consist of a rod or piece of wire bent inwardly at each end, as shown at 23, and inserted in openings provided therefor in brace 20 and arm 12.

The rack or drier is simple in construction, may be compactly folded when not in use, and may be raised and lowered to any desired elevation. Further, any one or more of the arms may be adjusted independently of the remaining arms, and when the arms are elevated they are locked, thus avoiding danger of collapse.

The rack or drier may be made in several sizes, according to requirements, and is susceptible of other changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction, which may accordingly be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificiug any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Let ters Patent, is'

1. In a clothes rack or drier, the combination with a base and a runner mounted to move vertically thereon; of means for raising and lowering the runner, a head bracket mounted on said runner, a series of pivoted arms connected to said bracket, braces for supporting said arms, said bracket comprising abutting semicircular sections having notches to receive the inner ends of the pivoted arms, one of said head-bracket sections being provided with clamp-fingers and the other section provided with recesses to receive said fingers, and clamping means for holding the head-bracket sections together and securing the same to the runner.

2. In a clothes rack or drier, the combination with a base and a runner mounted to slide vertically thereon; of head and foot brackets mounted on said runner, arms pivotally connected to the head-bracket, braces for said arms having terminal hooks engaging openings in the foot-bracket, and stop projections on the under side of the foot-bracket for preventing disengagement between the braces and foot-bracket.

3. In a clothes rack or drier, the combination with a base and a runner mounted to slide vertically thereon; of a bracket mounted on said runner a series of arms pivoted to said bracket and provided in their under sides with sockets, a series of braces having pivotal connection with the runner and provided with stay-pins adapted to enter the sockets in the arms, and pivotal links interposed between said arms and the upper ends of the braces adjacent to the stay-pins, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OWEN P. CALLAI'IAN.

Witnesses:

CARRIE ISAACS Jos. ISAACS. 

